Wittnesses



(No Model.)

C. RICHTER & R. T. ESGHLER. .ELEGTRIU ARC LAMP.

No. 573,161. Patented Dec. 15, 1896.

WITNESS 5:

NITED STATES A'rnNT 01mins.

CHARLES RICHTER AND RICHARD T. ESCHLER, OF CAMDEN, NEV JERSEY, ASSIGNORSOF ONE-THIRD TO SAMUEL B. GOEF, OE SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC-ARC LAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 573,161, dated.December 1896- Application filed March 26, 1896. Serial No. 585,020. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that we, CHARLES RICHTER, a citizen of the United States,and RICHARD T. ESCHLER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing inthe city and county of Camden, State of New Jersey, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Electric-Arc Lamps, which improvement is fullyset forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

Our in vention relates to arc-lamps in which the arc burns within aninclosing chamber or cylinder, which is either transparent ortranslucent. As well known, this type of lamp requires aboutseventy-five volts tension across the arc to insure its steady burning.Employing such a high tension of course gives the are a considerablelength. For the same number of amperes the length of the arc burning ina chamber is about six to eight times as much as that burning in theopen air. In some forms of lamps of this class heretofore known theaccess of air to the chamber is prevented by mechanical means. In otherforms a small amount of air, producing always a current of uniformdirection relatively to the are, is admitted to the chamber, so that itis possible to burn the are at a lower voltage, but the life of thecarbons is materially reduced.

In lamps of the first-mentioned class a safety-valve has been providedin order to permit the escape of the hot gases of combustion. In suchcases the valve will open only after a certain pressure has beenattained. This pressure is not uniform, as it fluctuates, thus changingthe resistance of the arc and affecting the steadiness of the light. 011analyzing the gases of combustion in the chamber they will be found tobe carbonic oxid (CO) and carbonic-acid gas (00 If the specific gravityof air be 1.00000, that of carbonic oxid (CO) is 0.06744. and that ofcarbonic-acid gas (00 is 1.51968. A mixture of these two gases willtherefore be of greater specific gravity than air, and this affords ameans of effectually preventing the access of oxygen to the chamber andat the same time providing an escape of the surplus gases in an evenmanner, always maintaining the same pressure within the chamber. It isessential transparent or translucent chamber, which is provided with acap B, through which latter the upper or positive carbon E passes and isfitted, practically closing the opening therein.

0 designates a cylindrical or other shaped cup which holds or supportsthe chamber A,

and is provided with the screwD for holding the lower or negative carbonF, which latter passes through the boss D of the cup 0, said screw beingfitted to said boss. Secured to the top of the cup 0 is an elastic ring,consisting of a spiral spring 0 of annular form, the same being seatedin the neck A on the lower portion of the chamber A and has itsconvolutions reeved through openings a in said cup 0, said ringaffording elastic support for the chamber A and holding it firmly inposition and allowing it to yield to any lateral pressure, thus reducingthe liability of breakage of the chamber to a minimum.

The lower portion of the chamberAis contracted, as at G, or of the formof an inverted cone, the bottom of which is open, and is located withinthe cup 0, so that in assembling the parts the spring 0 may slip readilyover the conical portion G, and so reach the neck A, in which it isseated.

It will be seen that the gases of combustion have an unobstructed egressfrom the bottom of the chamberAthrough the cup 0 into the atmosphere,but as the said gases are of greater specific gravity than air they willact as a seal at the open bottom of the chamber, and thus prevent theentrance of air into said chamber, whereby the arc will burn within anatmosphere of O0 and 00 Having thus described our invention, what weclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An electric-arc lamp, having a chamber With a cap for holding thepositive carbon, and a conical-shaped open lower end, a cup with meansfor holding the negative carbon, and a spring which is connected withsaid cup and supports said chamber, said spring embracing a neck on saidchamber, and said parts being combined substantially as described.

2. In an electric-arc lamp, a chamber having an open lower portion witha neck thereon, acup inclosing said lower portion anda spring embracingsaid neck and connected with said cup, said chamber resting on saidspring, said parts being combined substantially as described.

CHARLES RICHTER. RICHARD T. ESOHLER. "Witnesses:

JAMES E. HAYS, ROBERT B. HAYS.

